We say thank you

Today it is our duty and our privilege to honor the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, as well as their families who have lost so much.

I am saddened that some have instead chosen a darker path. What was done to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a serious crime and a moral travesty. I offer my support to our Vietnam veterans, their families and friends, and I say: we will not stand for this desecration of our memorials.

In the end, it’s a reminder of why Memorial Day is necessary.

We need to love our country, whatever our differences. Our military heroes displayed that love in its highest form when they stepped forward to say it was their job, not someone else’s, to put their lives on the line to defend our freedoms.

On Memorial Day, we say thank you. But honoring their sacrifice can’t be just one day a year. We have to make it a year-round mission by supporting all our veterans, whatever challenges they face.

In Boston, we ended chronic veterans’ homelessness because this cause is personal to me and we made it our priority. All told, we have housed over 1,000 veterans. We are ready to help any veteran who becomes homeless, at any time. And we won’t stop until every single person in our city has the home they deserve.

This week I stood with families on Boston Common watching the flags that represent their loved ones and the thousands of Massachusetts Military Heroes who fell serving our country. I joined the veterans and family members of the Mass. Fallen Heroes at their Memorial Dinner, honoring the life of our own Sergeant 1st Class Eric Emond, a hero and a beloved husband and father who lost his life last November in Afghanistan. Today I will attend Memorial Day services in West Roxbury, Dorchester, and the South End.

At every event, I meet the family members and veteran comrades of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and I am inspired by their strength and grace. I offer them my thanks and respect—and I pledge today on Memorial Day, and every day of the year, that their loved ones will never be forgotten in our city.